Chess for Beginners

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Overview

In this book, I. A. Horowitz, Chess Editor of the New York Times and former U.S. Open Champion, applies some of the ideas and convictions acquired from thirty-five years of playing, teaching and analyzing the royal game. He emphasizes the tactical aspects of the game: how to recognize the big chance and hit hard when it occurs. He also stresses the ideas and methods in opening play, rather than the routine memorizing of variations that takes the joy out of chess for so many beginners.

When you have completed this book, you will be able to play chess with pleasure and some ability.

Horowitz, ...

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More About This Book

Overview

In this book, I. A. Horowitz, Chess Editor of the New York Times and former U.S. Open Champion, applies some of the ideas and convictions acquired from thirty-five years of playing, teaching and analyzing the royal game. He emphasizes the tactical aspects of the game: how to recognize the big chance and hit hard when it occurs. He also stresses the ideas and methods in opening play, rather than the routine memorizing of variations that takes the joy out of chess for so many beginners.

When you have completed this book, you will be able to play chess with pleasure and some ability.

Horowitz, former U.S. Open Champ, applies his 35 years of experience to instructing the beginner, emphasizing pleasure and tactical aspects of the game.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780671211844
  • Publisher: Touchstone
  • Publication date: 9/15/1971
  • Edition number: 5
  • Pages: 144
  • Sales rank: 691,410
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 0.40 (d)

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Basic Rules

Chess is played on a board of 64 squares. All the squares are used in the course of play.

The opponents ("White" and "Black") each have eight Pawns; a King; a Queen; two Bishops; two Knights; and two Rooks. Diagram 1 shows the opening position.

Note that the right-hand corner square in White's territory is always a white square.

White always moves first.

The King

The King can move one square in any direction. This is shown by the crosses in Diagram 2. Now, returning to Diagram 1, note how the King is placed in the center of the back row at the beginning of the game.

Ideally, the King can move to eight different squares. But in chess you cannot move to a square occupied by one of your own men. So that, for example, if five of the King's possible squares are occupied by his own pieces, he has only three feasible moves left.

Capturing hostile pieces is accomplished by displacing them. The King captures pieces which are within his moving range.

For reasons that will become clear later, the King is the most important piece in chess!

The Rook

The Rook moves horizontally or vertically. In diagram 5 the Rook has its maximum 14 possible moves. The Rook cannot displace or leap over any of its own men. It can capture enemy pieces which are within its moving range. The Rook can move in only one direction at a time.

The Bishop

The Bishop moves along squares of the same color. Each player has one Bishop which moves on white squares, and one which moves on black squares. The Bishop can move in only one direction at a time. He cannot displace or leap over any of his own pieces. He can capture any enemy force within his moving range.

The Queen

The Queen, by far the most powerful piece on the chessboard, has the powers of the Rook AND the Bishop. But, like those pieces, it can move in only one direction at a time.

In Diagram 13, we see that the Queen ideally has 27 possible moves at its disposal. The Queen cannot displace or leap over any of its own pieces. She can capture any enemy piece within her moving range.

The Knight

The Knight's move is always of the same length. See Diagram 17.

You can see that the Knight's move is in the form of a capital "L."

The Knight's move has been well described:

(a) one square "North" OR "South"; then two squares "East" OR "West."

(b) one square "East" OR "West"; then two squares "North" OR "South."

Either description can be used to describe the same move! Try it.

Note that the Knight changes the color of his square each time he moves. Thus, in Diagram 17 he starts out on a black square. But in Diagram 18, having made his move, he ends up on a white square.

Unlike the other pieces, the Knight can leap over his own men and those of the enemy. He can capture enemy pieces only at the end-square of his move.

The Pawn

The Pawn is the only one of the chessmen that does not move backward. The Pawn can only move forward.

As you have seen from Diagrams 23-24, the Pawn can move forward one square at a time. The same is true of Black Pawns, which, however, move in the opposite direction. This is shown in Diagrams 25-26 (page 8).

There is one exception to the rule that the Pawn moves one square straight ahead. When the Pawn is making its first move, it has the option of advancing one square OR two.

At the beginning of the game (see Diagram 1), the Pawns are all lined up on the second row. (Such horizontal rows of squares are known as ranks.) Any Pawn on the second rank, no matter how far the game has progressed, has the choice of advancing one or two squares (Diagrams 27-30).

Still another peculiarity of the Pawn is that it captures in a different way from the one in which it moves. It captures one square forward to the right OR left (Diagrams 31-34).

In other words, the Pawn's capture is a limited application of the Bishop's capture (page 4). The Pawn's method of capture, as you will see later on, plays an important role.

Copyright 1950 by I. A. Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface

1. Basic Rules

The King

The Rook

The Bishop

The Queen

The Knight

The Pawn

2. Long Live The King!

Check

Special kinds of Checks

Checkmate

Comparative Values

When Checkmate is Impossible

Pawn Promotion

3. Two More Important Rules

Castling

Capturing En Passant

4. How To Record Games

Why Record Games?

Chess Notation

5. Drawn Games

Insufficient Mating Material

Draw by Agreement

The 50-move Rule

Threefold Repetition

Perpetual Check

Stalemate

6. The Chessmen In Action

The Queen

The Rook

The Bishop

The Knight

The Pawn

7. How To Spot Combinations and Sacrifices

Simple Attacks

Combinations with Sacrifices

8. Traps In The Opening

The Vulnerable King at K1

Attack Against KR7

Trapping Bishops

Breaking out of a Pin

Unexpected Replies

9. Pointers On Opening Play

Begin with 1 P-K4

Avoid Moving the Same Piece or Pawn Twice

Develop Knights Before Bishops

Avoid Early Queen Development

Castle Early!

Control the Center

Avoid Excessive Pawn Advances

Black's Opening Policy

Model Opening Play

"Irregular" Defenses

Review

10. Fundamental Endgame Positions

King and Pawn Endings

Rook and Pawn Endings

Other Types of Endings

11. Illustrative Games

12. Chess Etiquette

"Touch-Move"

The Gentle Art of Annoying

First Chapter

Chapter 1

Basic Rules

Chess is played on a board of 64 squares. All the squares are used in the course of play.

The opponents ("White" and "Black") each have eight Pawns; a King; a Queen; two Bishops; two Knights; and two Rooks. Diagram 1 shows the opening position.

Note that the right-hand corner square in White's territory is always a white square.

White always moves first.

The King

The King can move one square in any direction. This is shown by the crosses in Diagram 2. Now, returning to Diagram 1, note how the King is placed in the center of the back row at the beginning of the game.

Ideally, the King can move to eight different squares. But in chess you cannot move to a square occupied by one of your own men. So that, for example, if five of the King's possible squares are occupied by his own pieces, he has only three feasible moves left.

Capturing hostile pieces is accomplished by displacing them. The King captures pieces which are within his moving range.

For reasons that will become clear later, the King is the most important piece in chess!

The Rook

The Rook moves horizontally or vertically. In diagram 5 the Rook has its maximum 14 possible moves. The Rook cannot displace or leap over any of its own men. It can capture enemy pieces which are within its moving range. The Rook can move in only one direction at a time.

The Bishop

The Bishop moves along squares of the same color. Each player has one Bishop which moves on white squares, and one which moves on black squares. The Bishop can move in only one direction at a time. He cannot displace or leap over any of his own pieces. He can capture any enemyforce within his moving range.

The Queen

The Queen, by far the most powerful piece on the chessboard, has the powers of the Rook AND the Bishop. But, like those pieces, it can move in only one direction at a time.

In Diagram 13, we see that the Queen ideally has 27 possible moves at its disposal. The Queen cannot displace or leap over any of its own pieces. She can capture any enemy piece within her moving range.

The Knight

The Knight's move is always of the same length. See Diagram 17.

You can see that the Knight's move is in the form of a capital "L."

The Knight's move has been well described:

(a) one square "North" OR "South"; then two squares "East" OR "West."

(b) one square "East" OR "West"; then two squares "North" OR "South."

Either description can be used to describe the same move! Try it.

Note that the Knight changes the color of his square each time he moves. Thus, in Diagram 17 he starts out on a black square. But in Diagram 18, having made his move, he ends up on a white square.

Unlike the other pieces, the Knight can leap over his own men and those of the enemy. He can capture enemy pieces only at the end-square of his move.

The Pawn

The Pawn is the only one of the chessmen that does not move backward. The Pawn can only move forward.

As you have seen from Diagrams 23-24, the Pawn can move forward one square at a time. The same is true of Black Pawns, which, however, move in the opposite direction. This is shown in Diagrams 25-26 (page 8).

There is one exception to the rule that the Pawn moves one square straight ahead. When the Pawn is making its first move, it has the option of advancing one square OR two.

At the beginning of the game (see Diagram 1), the Pawns are all lined up on the second row. (Such horizontal rows of squares are known as ranks.) Any Pawn on the second rank, no matter how far the game has progressed, has the choice of advancing one or two squares (Diagrams 27-30).

Still another peculiarity of the Pawn is that it captures in a different way from the one in which it moves. It captures one square forward to the right OR left (Diagrams 31-34).

In other words, the Pawn's capture is a limited application of the Bishop's capture (page 4). The Pawn's method of capture, as you will see later on, plays an important role.

Copyright 1950 by I. A. Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 17, 2008

    Not Comprehensive but has a decent organization

    This is a well organized book that introduces chess to the complete beginner. If you are looking for a book that will touch on the most basic rules and then provide just a little strategy and don't plan to get beyond being a beginner then this book is suitable. The simple fact of the matter is that 'CHESS FOR BEGINNERS' doesn't provide much material to teach you basic strategy. It is not comprehensive enough to get you beyond the near absolute beginning stage. Investing in a more comprehensive beginning book (especially one that is part of a series where you can grow) for most beginners would be a wise choice.

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